January 2018 Newsletter

Chances are at some time in your life, you’ve made a New Year’s resolution — and then broken it. This year, stop the cycle of resolving to make change and then not following through. If your resolution is to take better care of yourself and get healthy, you will have a much better year if your resolution sticks. Here are ten tips to help you get started.

Be RealisticThe surest way to fall short of your goal is to make your goal unattainable. For instance, resolving to NEVER eat your favorite food again is setting you up to fail. Instead, strive for a goal that is attainable, such as avoiding it more often than you do now.

Plan AheadDon’t make your resolution on New Year’s Eve. If you wait until the last minute, it will be based on your mindset that particular day. Instead, it should be planned well before December 31 arrives.

Outline Your PlanDecide how you will deal with the temptation to skip that exercise class or have that piece of cake. This could include calling on a friend for help, practicing positive thinking and self-talk, or reminding yourself how your “bad” will affect your goal.

Make a “Pros” and “Cons” ListIt may help to see a list of items on paper to keep your motivation strong. Develop this list over time, and ask others to contribute to it. Keep your list with you and refer to it when you need help keeping your resolve.

Talk About ItDon’t keep your resolution a secret. Tell friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better or improve your health. The best-case scenario is to find a buddy who shares your New Year’s resolution and motivate each other.

Reward YourselfThis doesn’t mean that you can eat an entire box of chocolates if your resolution is to eat a better diet. Instead, celebrate your success by treating yourself to something you enjoy that doesn’t contradict your resolution. If you have been sticking to your promise to eat better, for example, reward yourself with new fitness clothing or by going to a movie with a friend.

Track Your ProgressKeep track of each small success. Short-term goals are easier to keep, and each small accomplishment will help keep you motivated. Instead of focusing on losing 30 pounds, focus on losing the first five. Keep a food journal to help you stay on track, and reward yourself for each five pounds lost.

Don’t Beat Yourself UpObsessing over the occasional slip won’t help you achieve your goal. Do the best you can each day, and take one day at a time.

Stick to ItExperts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity to become a habit and six months for it to become part of your personality. It won’t happen overnight, so be persistent and patient!

Keep TryingIf you have totally run out of steam when it comes to keeping your resolution by mid-February, don’t despair. Start over again! Recommit yourself for 24 hours. You can do anything for 24 hours. The 24-hour increments will soon build on each other and, before you know it, you will be back on track.

Ways To Increase Your Protein Intake

Swap Regular Yogurt For Greek YogurtRegular yogurt often has tons of additives and hidden sugar—especially the flavored ones—but plain Greek yogurt can have up to almost 20 grams of protein per serving. Look for varieties with little to no sugar for an afternoon snack or a great way to jumpstart your morning.

Choose Eggs Over CerealCereal servings are often much smaller than a traditional bowl’s size, leading to overeating with very little protein. Swap your cereal for eggs—hard-boiled, soft scrambled, or however you like them—for a fat-burning and delicious meal. If you’re craving something earthy and sweet, add sweet peppers and root vegetables and double down on toppings like herbs and hot sauce that will only cost you a few calories.

Add A Handful Of Pecans To A SaladNuts are not only a great crunch element to add to salads, entrees, and desserts, but they’re also packed with protein and antioxidants. Pecans, in particular, have a ton of magnesium, which aid in digestion; they’re filling and cleansing at the same time.

Choose Low Fat Cheese Instead of Junk FoodIf you’re looking for something creamy and satisfying that feels indulgent, grab a cheese stick instead of cheesy chips or other junk. Low-fat string cheese comes in at under 200 calories per serving with all the protein you’d get from a glass of milk. (A cup of low-fat milk has about eight grams of protein.) Plus, it’s fun to eat!

Add Lentils To Your SoupIf you’re looking for a way to increase the protein in your broth-based soups, try adding lentils. A longtime staple for vegetarians looking for alternative sources of protein, lentils can completely fill you up with very little effort. A handful of lentils can be subbed in for noodles, rice, or anything else starchy.

Healthy Living Tip

Juice/Blend. Juicing/Blending is a great way to get vitamins and nutrients from fruits/vegetables quickly. Juicing is where you use extract the juice from vegetables/fruits using a juicing machine, removing the fiber. With blending, the fiber is not filtered away so you’re drinking the juice and fiber. For vegetables, I recommend juicing as it’s a great way to quickly get nutrients without munching through a huge volume of fiber. You can also go for green powders, which contains the nutrients of many power vegetables in one scoop. For fruits, I recommend to use a blender rather than a juicer, as juicing remove the fiber of the fruit and creates large sugar spikes in your body (which is not healthy) due to the loss of fiber. Juices and smoothies complement each other — juices give our digestive system a break while blending gives us the fiber which feeds friendly bacteria in the gut.

Healthy Transformations

Beef & Lentil Stew

Ingredients

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1 Tbl sherry

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1 tsp garlic

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¼ cup beef stock

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1 ¾ oz beef, lean

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¾ cup carrots

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¾ cup celery

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2 cups mushrooms

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4 medium tomatoes

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¼ cup onion

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¼ cup lentils

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1 ¼ tsp oil, high oleic safflower

Spices / Flavoring

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¼ tsp salt, lite

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¼ tsp black pepper

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1 tsp parsley, dried

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1 bay leaf

Preparation: Cook and stir the meat, onion and the garlic in a dutch oven until the meat is brown. Drain off the excess fat. Stir in the mushrooms, and the remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. (You may need to add water to maintain stew consistency).